Combined mattress and float.



A. s. LEVY.

COMBINED MATTRESS AND FLOAT.

APPLIQATIOH FILED lfAY 28, 1912. 1,047,820. Patented Dec.17,1912.

INVENTOR a. .r 6. BY

a zwm ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Arman s. rnvmpr can rnamusco, catrronm comnmn marrans s AND rnoar,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 17, Application filed Kay 28, 1912. Serial No. "(00,159.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAM SLAGER LEVY, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Fran cisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combinedv .Mattresses and. Floats, of which the following is a specification' One object of thepresent invention is, to provide amattress, for use on board ships, which, incase of necessity, as by reason of the sinking of the ship, can be used as a raft or float, to support in the water one or more persons thereon.

A further object is to provide such a mattress which can be quickly and easily attached by a flexible connection to one or more similar mattresses to form a raft or float of considerable magnitude, and therefore on which the occupants will be well protected from the water in rough weather. In-the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 .is a perspective view of my lmpro'ved mattress in useas a float; Fig. 2 is a broken perspective view of two such mattresses at tached together; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View of an edge of the mattress.

On referring to the drawing, it will be seen. that my improved mattress is of the usual rectangular form and has the to 1 and the bottom 2, formed-of a-single thlckness of ticking, connected by vertlcal edges 3 each having a double thickness of ticking. Said mattress is filled with some material '4, as kapok floss, which will absorb moisture very slowly, and be of very small weightin proportion to its bulk. In longitudinal pockets 6 formed midway of each vertical edge are contained bars 7 of thin flat iron, suitable dimensions of said bars being 1 in. width or height and g in. in thickness. These bars at the corners of the mattress are connected by angle irons 8 and thus form a rigid frame, which frame is an important feature ofmy invention. Since the bars are very thin in proportion to their width or height, the weight of the mattress is not materially increased thereby and yet they very eifectually'prevent the bending of the mattress in a vertical direction at the sides or ends. An ordinary mattress, even if filled with the proper material, cannot be used 'as a 'supportin float, for the reason that it readily bends when subjected'to the forces of its own buoyancy and the Wei 'ht thereon. It is found that a mattress fil ed with kapok and suitable in size for theberth of a vessel will support in the water approximately times-its own weight if prevented from bending, Through said bars are passed at suitable intervals eye-bolts 9, on the inner ends of'which are screwed nuts 11, and-the eyes of which engage the eyes of snap hooks 12. Since 'the eye-bolts pass loosely through the bars, they can be. turned about their axes, and therefore also the snap hooks can be turned in any direction. By means of these snap hooks any number of such mattresses can be flexibly, but securely, attached together, forming a raft or float having an extended surface to support thereon ship-wrecked ersons, or, if desired, and, if the number 0 such-mattresses be great in proportion to the number of persons to be saved, said mattresses canbe connected together on top of one another, so that a person will be supported upon such a raft well above the surface ofthe water and the'injurious. effects of immersion in cold water will, thereforebe avoided.

While the above is the preferred form of my'invention, I desire it to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction here shown, as the bar need not necessarily be a flat bar, nor need the connections be made by snap-hooks. However, I regard it, as an essential feature of my invention that the mattress should have V means, other than the ticking'and filling,

for preventing deformation thereof.

I claim 1. In combination with a mattress having a filling of material not readily absorbent of water, the edges of said mattress hav-- ing longitudinal pockets, a frame comprising rigid bars in said pockets, and means attached to said bars for connecting said mattress to similar mattresses. v

2. In combination with a mattress having a filling of fibrous material not readily absorbent of water, the edges of said mattress-having longitudinal pockets, a frame, consisting of bars in said pockets rigidly connected at the corners of the mattress, eye-bolts through said bars, and snap hooks connected tosald eye-bolts.

3. In combination with a mattress having a filling of fibrous material not readily absorbent of water, the edge of said mattress l In testimony ,whereof I have hereunto set 7 having longitudinal pockets, a 1- id frame my hand in the presence 0f two subscribing and angle irons connecting said bars at the comprising thin fiat bars .in sai pockets wltnesses.

ABRAM S. LEVY.

corners of the mattress, eye-bolts through w Witnesses:

said bars, and snap hooks connected with. FRANCIS M. WRIGHT,

said eyerbolts. D. B.' RICHARDS. 

